Maharashtra TET Paper Leak: SIT Arrests 3 More From Agra, Total 10 Held, Kingpin Bijender Gupta Still Absconding

Bhiwandi: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET)-2026 paper leak has made another significant breakthrough by arresting three more accused from Agra in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that they played a direct role in smuggling the confidential question paper out of the printing press where it was printed. With these arrests, the total number of accused held in the high-profile case has risen to 10, while the alleged kingpin, Bijender Gupta, remains absconding despite sustained search operations across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana.

Investigators claim the latest arrests have strengthened evidence suggesting that the leak originated from inside the secure printing facility itself. The SIT is now reconstructing the entire chain through which the confidential examination paper allegedly moved from the press to the wider leak network.

The three arrested accused have been identified as Naresh Kumar Puranchand Mahaur alias Nikky 35, Sanjay Kumar Suresh Chandra Sharma 44, and Babulal Narayan Singh Kushwaha 45. They were arrested in Agra and brought to Bhiwandi, where they were produced before Judicial Magistrate S.M. Sutar, who remanded all three to police custody until July 9.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Dr Pawan Bansode said preliminary investigation revealed that two of the arrested men were employed in the packaging department of Mahim Patram Pvt. Ltd., the company responsible for printing the confidential TET examination papers. According to investigators, they allegedly facilitated the removal of the question paper from the highly secured printing facility and passed it on to the alleged mastermind Bijender Gupta and his associate Kapil Dahiya.

The SIT is now examining both physical and digital evidence to establish every stage of the conspiracy and identify all individuals involved in the operation.

Focus Shifts to Printing Press Security

Investigators believe the conspiracy was executed from within the printing press itself. The SIT is scrutinising CCTV footage from the facility, employee movement records, mobile phone locations, call detail records (CDRs), and travel patterns of the accused along the Delhi-Agra corridor to determine how the confidential paper was removed despite strict security protocols.

Officials are attempting to establish the exact method used to smuggle the paper out of the press, identify every intermediary involved, and determine how the document eventually reached members of the alleged interstate network.

Former Employee Allegedly Built the Network

According to sources associated with the investigation, the SIT has uncovered evidence suggesting that a former employee of the printing press, Sanjay Kumar Chandra, allegedly persuaded packaging department employees Naresh Mahaur and Babulal Kushwaha to remove the confidential examination paper.

Investigators are now probing when and how Sanjay Kumar Chandra established contact with absconding accused Bijender Gupta and Kapil Dahiya, and what role he allegedly played in coordinating the operation.

The investigation has further revealed that several arrested and absconding accused were already acquainted through previous employment at the printing facility. Fugitive accused Sonu Kumar Kishan Lal had earlier worked at the same press and reportedly worked alongside Babulal Kushwaha nearly three years ago. Meanwhile, Naresh Mahaur alias Nikky was employed in the packaging section on a contractual basis. Investigators believe these existing professional relationships may have helped facilitate the alleged conspiracy.

Paper Allegedly Passed Through Multiple Hands

According to the SIT's findings so far, Babulal Kushwaha allegedly handed the TET question paper to Naresh Kumar Mahaur alias Nikky, who is suspected of physically taking it out of the printing press. The investigators further allege that Sanjay Kumar Sharma subsequently delivered the confidential paper to absconding accused Sonu Kumar Kishan Lal.

The agency is now tracing the subsequent movement of the question paper to determine who else handled it before it allegedly reached the wider distribution network.

Probe Expanded Beyond TET-2026

The investigation is no longer confined to the Maharashtra TET-2026 examination alone. SIT officers are examining whether current or former employees of the printing press may have been involved in leaking question papers of other competitive or recruitment examinations in the past.

Officials are also investigating whether additional employees within the printing establishment were aware of or participated in the alleged operation.

Three Live Cartridges Recovered During Arrest

Investigators disclosed another significant development during the Agra operation. During the search of accused Sanjay Kumar Sharma, the SIT allegedly recovered three live cartridges.

Police are now investigating how Sharma came into possession of the ammunition, whether it was legally held, and whether it has any connection with the paper leak network. A separate inquiry into the recovery has also been initiated.

Patna-Registered Hunter Motorcycle Under Scanner

The SIT has also widened its investigation to include a Hunter motorcycle registered in Patna. Investigators are attempting to trace its registered owner, believing that doing so could provide crucial leads linking individuals operating across Delhi, Agra, Patna and Haryana.

Officials are examining the vehicle's movement, travel routes and possible use during meetings allegedly connected to the conspiracy.

Kingpin Still Absconding

The Maharashtra government was forced to postpone the TET-2026 examination just a day before it was scheduled after the paper leak surfaced, triggering one of the state's most significant recruitment examination scandals in recent years.

Since then, the SIT has intensified its investigation, resulting in the arrest of 10 accused so far. However, alleged mastermind Bijender Gupta continues to evade arrest. A Look Out Circular (LOC) has already been issued against him, and police teams are conducting coordinated raids across multiple states.

Investigators believe Gupta's arrest could prove crucial in exposing the complete interstate network, financial transactions, communication channels and the identities of other individuals allegedly involved in the conspiracy.

Forensic analysis of digital devices, technical evidence and sustained interrogation of the arrested accused continue as the SIT attempts to unravel the paper leak operation layer by layer.

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